Saturday, October 23, 2010

I love this store. The clothes are a great mix of on trend and classic. There are a variety of well tailored sizes in very nice fabrics. However, the price tag for many of the items is HIGH. We're talking the average dress being $150. Ugh!

I could not help but wonder why. So I decided to do a bit of research on it...

Fun Fact #1: Anthropologie is owned by Urban Outfitters, Inc which owns Urban Outfitters and Free People. * These are two stores that also do not have low priced items. Yet the items at these stores are cheaper than the things at Anthropologie. Though they are a bit similar in their type and how they are displayed.

Below are three pics from catalogs: Urban, Anthro, and Free People

Urban Outfitters

Anthro

Free People

The outfits all look like they could be sold in the same store! Why are the products priced so differently???

Fun Fact #2: This store is marketed as "an aspirational lifestyle brand that offers a unique product assortment featuring women's apparel and accessories, home furnishings, found objects and a diverse array of gifts and decorative items". It is also marketed toward 35 - 45 women who are well educated and have a household income $200,00 a year. Umm what???

That's right! Anthro is branded toward older women who have money and lots of it. That is why the dresses and decor are always SO expensive. They believe that their product should be this expensive because the type of people they want to buy their product can actually afford it.**

Yet their catalogs and online websites have young models who are clearly not 35 - 40 year old women. Here is where the real genius comes in. We (being young - and po'- college chicas) see the models wearing the cute clothes. We want cute clothes so we save up every penny of our pay checks to get those cute boots or that flouncy top from Anthro. For example, I'm saving up to buy these boots for Europe...

Boots $248

The 35 - 40 year old women also see the young models wearing the cute clothes. They want cute clothes, but Anthro provides an added bonus: Youth. Young people are modeling the clothes! So the older ladies get to be cute AND young. You have two huge demographics spending their money away.